The Ontario Securities Commission released a report today summarizing the operational activities of the corporate finance branch for the 2007 fiscal year.

The branch is directly responsible for regulating 1,100 reporting issuers in Ontario and overseeing compliance with the province’s securities laws in the public and exempt markets.

The annual branch report highlights the results of a number of activities, including a new approach to continuous disclosure (CD) reviews, reviews of prospectuses, applications for exemptive relief, merger & acquisitions activity and insider reporting. The report also provides an update on current service levels.

“It is important for us to provide transparent and effective guidance to our issuers on how they can better prepare their filings and comply with securities laws,” says corporate finance director Margo Paul.

Staff Notice 51-706 Corporate Finance Branch Report 2007 is available in the Rules, Policies & Notices section of the OSC Web site www.osc.gov.on.ca.